Breaking News: 98.5 becomes All Sports WBZ-FM

[Dan.Strassberg]

Question 1:  Does the advent of the PPM make call letters irrelevant?
Used to be that broadcasting companies wanted different calls on AMs
and FMs that were not simulcasting. There are lots of exceptions,
including WXKS (AM) and -FM locally, but far more stations still
follow the separate call letters "rule" than break it. I think the
idea used to be that sharing call signs would result in
under-reporting of listenership. Of course, that applied under the
diary system but it seems irrelevant now.

2. Are all the machinations about moving WBMX to 104.1 and putting
WBZ-FM on 98.5, rather than leaving WBMX at 98.5 and putting WBZ-FM on
104.1 related to coverage differences between 98.5 and 104.1? 98.5 is
on FM-128, I think--or maybe it's on the WBZ-TV tower. Anyhow, 98.5 is
7.7 miles west-southwest of 104.1. That means that 98.5 has a better
signal in Worcester than does 104.1. Why 98.5 never moved downtown is
unclear to me, however. Can't be an IF problem--98.5+10.7 is above the
top of the FM band and 98.5-10.7 is below the bottom of the band. Is
it a spacing problem from downtown to third-adjacent WPLM-FM?

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul B. Walker, Jr." <walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com>
To: "bri" <bri@bostonradio.org>; "Boston Radio"
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 12:39 PM
Subject: Breaking News: 98.5 becomes All Sports WBZ-FM


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